Cotter has been a revelation for the Maroons in the middle, off the bench and on an edge in his 11 Origin appearances, but plays No.13 for his North Queensland side where he is most at home.
He played second-row in the 22-20 loss to NSW in Sydney, but coach Billy Slater has since made a few tweaks for the MCG clash on Wednesday.
Briton Nikora has been elevated to starting second-row, Cotter will move to lock while Max Plath reverts to the bench.
"I played all my junior footy at lock and debuted at lock," Cotter said.
"There is a bit more thinking involved when you are playing on an edge and being back at lock I can dial into my game and focus on my job."
That job entails limiting the effectiveness of NSW skipper Yeo and a Blues pack that has been boosted by the return of Payne Haas from injury.
"(Yeo) is a ball player but he is a runner first. Everyone is aware of his game and what he does for their team," Cotter said.
"If you can apply pressure to him then Nathan Cleary and those blokes out the back have less time, so he is a strong player. No doubt Payne will help their middle so we have got a job to do."
Cotter hasn't thought beyond this match but a carrot at the end of the year is a World Cup berth with the Kangaroos for whom he came off the bench in the Ashes series.
Yeo has a mortgage on the No.13 but October is a long way away and Cotter said it "would be nice" to play lock at Test level.
His efforts at second-row, most famously in game one in Adelaide in 2023 when he was man of the match after never playing in the position before, have made him a representative regular.
"I have played there quite a few times over the years now," he said.
"We have smart coaching staff that helped me along the way and Bill has helped me a lot in that area. I enjoyed playing on an edge as well but lock is definitely my preferred position."
Meanwhile, Cotter's Cowboys teammate winger Murray Taulagi is relishing being back in camp on an extended bench after missing game one with concussion symptoms.
""It's been a massive privilege to come back," he said.
"It's a very unfamiliar spot I'm in, but anything can happen in the game.
"I've just got to prepare like I'm playing and deal with that mindset."
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